Within the Shadows
by stained-theory
Summary: Tonight will be a night unlike no other. Amy Rose's evening stroll is on a direct path leading to tragedy. What will she do when she comes face to face with the one who bears a menancing scowl? Trust me when I tell you that not one soul will be still.


**Disclaimer: (Stating the obvious) I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog nor any other of his anthromorphic friends! Shame, isn't it?**

**A/N: Well readers, I introduce you to the first half of my two-part fanfic dabbling in the genre of h o r r o r. Oh, I do hope that seemed menacing.. **

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><p><strong>Part I<strong>

Amy Rose locked her bare arms, one over the other, to protect herself from a brisk gust of wind. It howled as if it were a warning from the spirits of the dead. It sent shivers up her spine. Small puddles and damp pavements were the remnants of a rainstorm. She was grateful to have not been caught in the rain, but still scolded herself for being out so late in the evening.

There were only a few blocks left until she would reach the security of her domain. With her chest rising rapidly and her heat beating at an unusual pace, she continued on. The moon's illumination was cloaked behind the clouds of the night sky.

Reaching the end of the sidewalk and preparing to cross the street, she heard a rattle from the dark alley next to her. She shrieked and whirled around. Amy's widened jade eyes were sodden with fear as she peered into the path. She bit her lip, finding it difficult to make her words audible when wanting to question the dark being.

"_Oh, come on, Amy. Only one more block to go and you're home! He can't hurt you there._" She thought to herself.

Pairs of red, beady eyes flashed in the shadows. The grasp on the handle of her hammer only tightened as they seemed to come closer to her. But the closer they came, the more she realized that they were only inches away from the floor.

Two large rats ran out of the alley way, squeaking as they scurried away.

Amy laughed nervously. "My Chaos. To guess that I would let two little rats scare me like that. They're harmless!" A sigh of relief escaped her lips. She loosened the grip on her hammer, and rested it on the ground. Turning around to cross the lane, the true root of her terror stood in front her.

"Yes, they're only harmless." He echoed.

The sight of him made her blood run cold. Their eyes locked in an intense gaze. Her eyes so evidently horrified, and his crimson orbs amused by her current disposition.

He stepped forward.

"Shadow, don't make me do this!" Amy hoisted her mallet, and her grip nearly crushed its handle.

She was once able to coax him out of his deadly tirades fueled by revenge, but now, Shadow's psyche was completely callous. In her eyes, he had turned on them all, but in his, he was doing what they were expecting him to do: kill.

Her threat came out weak. It did nothing except blow past the ebony hedgehog along with the wind that rustled his quills. He advanced towards her.

She unconsciously took a step back, her knuckles almost numb due to her grasp.

"I have been plotting on you, Rose."

His voice was always dark, but it now sent shivers down her spine. She wondered why it had such an effect on her. Searching his eyes, she noted that the sympathy behind them was no longer there. He was a fiend. A villain.

Amy had this internal voice pleading with her to beg the dark furred being for mercy, but she shook it off as she got into a stance ready for battle.

_If only her blue hero were here.._

"The outcome will be pleasing for me, but I'm afraid it might not be the same for you."

Amy furrowed her brow, and raised her hammer. "Not here, not now!" Either she caught him off-guard or he was allowing her to get the first strike, but instead of using his ability of teleportation, Shadow's body connected to the end of Amy's mallet and his body, seeming frail in that moment, flew into the brick wall of the alley.

She gasped, not because she was unfamiliar with the damage that her weapon could do, but because she wasn't aware that she could actually cause damage to him – the so-called "Ultimate Lifeform."

Seizing the opportunity, Amy ran, knowing that one swing of her hammer wasn't going to save her this time.

The sound of big, heavy footsteps moving uncoordinatedly against the sidewalk filled the barren city as its source struggled to keep her balance and breath as she ran. Oh how she hated having to run in those boots. They did speed no justice, but those same boots with the metals heels usually led her to being scooped up into the arms of Sonic the Hedgehog while he ran at that remarkable speed of his.

"_Sonic."_

The mere thought of him caused her to lose her footing but she quickly regained her posture and continued to run. Upon reaching the entrance of her five-floor apartment building, she placed a gloved palm on the buzzers of the other residents who lived there. Sure, they'd give her hell about it, especially because of the hour, but Amy was not risking taking her sweet time to find her key. She opted for the easy way out.

Amy stood in front of the building, panicking as she pressed her hand against the small buttons repeatedly. She let out small whimpers and bit her lip, fighting the tears that wanted to stream along her muzzle.

"Please! Somebody please let me in!" She cried. Her voice sounded strained and desperate. It was foreign to her ears.

The distressed damsel left her hand on the buzzers for a moment longer, letting the ringing last for what seemed like long drawn-out hours. Giving up, she quickly turned around and prepared to run off somewhere else. She wasn't sure of the location, but with adrenaline and fear as her fuel, she would go wherever her feet would take her. But luckily for her, a loud buzz came from the door, permitting her to go in. The pink hedgehog quickly dashed to the entrance and burst through the heavy door as if she were able to tackle it to the ground.

She ran up the stairs, ignoring the shouts from her landlord who lived on the top floor. Once reaching the second landing, Amy sped down the hall to her apartment, which was the only one situated on that section of the second floor. While other apartment doors were side by side or directly opposite of one another, Amy's was almost hidden away. A single door isolated from the others. It also was the only door to have a placemat in front of it that served the purpose of hiding a spare key.

Amy used the front of her boot to kick up the mat, and there it was, a brass key reflecting the dim lights of the hallway and shining at her. She bent down on her knees to retrieve it, except it wasn't there.

There was no key. It was only her hope creating such an object of imagination, and perhaps a bit of desperation, too.

_"If the key's not here, could that mean -"_

Amy, still on her knees, looked up at the door with widened eyes. Every part of her body trembled, even her very soul.

"_No, Amy! Think of Sonic, what would he do?_"

Amy slowly rose from her spot on the ground with her knees still wobbling and hands uneasy. She gazed at the door intently.

"_Sonic would go in there, and face Shadow like the hero he is_."

Amy gulped. "But I'm no hero.." She wondered out loud, her voice almost a whisper.

"But I'll be a heroine." With new found courage, Amy dug her hand into her skirt pocket and gripped the key. She pulled it out, careful not to drop it, and in one motion, the key was placed successfully into the lock.

_Click._

Amy, with her hand on the knob, refused the urge to look back, because she knew if she did, anxiety would rise in her stomach as it has done all throughout the evening.

But as she stepped through the door, she found that fear was waiting for her, nonetheless.

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><p><strong>Ah, and that is the end of part one! I bet a good number of you are wondering where is Sonic or what happened to him, but don't worry, all will be revealed in part two. We'll see then if he is dead or alive! Hmph.<strong>

**Anyway, enough with the theatrics... I really hope you enjoyed this. I tried my very best at writing it because I've never wrote in this genre before. So please let me know how I did in a review. Reviews are much appreciated. Thank you! **


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